Former UFC featherweight Ryan Hall has endured a grueling medical journey since his last appearance in the Octagon, undergoing an astounding 19 surgeries under general anesthesia. “I’ve had 19 general anesthesia surgeries since that fight,” Hall revealed in a recent interview.
A Series of Medical Setbacks
Hall detailed the cascade of injuries and complications that led to his numerous surgeries: “[I] got fallen on, tore my ACL, had to fix [the] plantar plate that was torn under my foot. [I] got fallen on again, had to have a tight rope surgery, the one like Pat Mahomes [had]. The ACL got infected and had to have a couple emergency septic arthritis [procedures]. Then with the tight rope, I was actually allergic to the hardware that they put in me somehow, so it had to be redone.”
Looking Ahead: Return and Weight Class Changes
Despite these setbacks, Hall remains optimistic about his return to competition. “I’ll be looking forward to finishing up my rehab on my shoulder over the next two months or so and then being able to meaningfully get into training,” he explained, targeting a potential return in March or April 2024.
In an interesting development, Hall revealed he’s considering a move to bantamweight for his comeback: “I can’t be sure if I’m going to fight at 135 or 145 pounds, but it’ll be one or the other. It kind of depends on what’s out there because I’ve always been a 135-pound fighter who fought at 45 and 55. I just never knew if people would accept fights, so I didn’t want to hang around at the lower weight all the time.”
Reflection on Topuria Fight
Hall’s last appearance in the UFC came against Ilia Topuria, who has since become the featherweight champion. Looking back on the bout, Hall acknowledged the impact his injuries had on his performance: “[Topuria] is very powerful and very dangerous. I remember all of the karate bounce and movement was gone because of the tears on my feet and my hip. I remember ducking out of the way of punches and going, ‘Whoa, this is way more disconcerting than usual,’ because stuff that you’re used to making miss by a little more was barely getting out of the way.”
While respecting Topuria’s subsequent success, Hall expressed regret about the circumstances: “I went into that fight with so many injuries. I had two surgeries in camp, got fallen on. I wish the version of me that showed up to fight Darren Elkins had been able to walk into that ring.”
Future Opponents
As he plans his return, Hall has expressed interest in meaningful matchups, specifically mentioning Bryce Mitchell: “Obviously a guy like Bryce is very tough and it would be neat to compete against someone that, if you do well, puts you right back in the mix of things. I bring him up only because he’s someone that I appreciate, respect, and it would be a very tough and interesting [fight].”
However, Hall acknowledges the need for realistic expectations after such a long layoff: “I don’t know if it’s reasonable for me. I’ll actually have to ask Sean Shelby and see what he says. I don’t know what’s reasonable for me to expect in terms of opponents coming back.”
